Marilla
by Smego Baggins
Summary: After his mother is killed by Orcs, a grief-stricken 4-year-old Legolas embraces a cat as his new 'mother', and finds healing with the cat and her new kittens. *Complete**
1. Prologue: Navaer Atara: Farewell Mother

Title: Marilla (it's Sinarin meaning pearl)  
  
Author: Me. Smego Baggins  
  
Summery: After his mother is killed by Orcs, a grief-stricken 4-year-old Legolas embraces a cat as his new 'mother', and finds healing with the cat and her new kittens.  
  
Betaed by: the one and only SHIREBOUND!!!  
  
Rating: PG for um . . . I don't know.  
  
Archived: Yes, but ask.  
  
AN: I don't know what provoked me to write this, maybe changing characters to pick on, or maybe because it's Mothers Day this Sunday. I know it's a day early but my mum read it over my shoulder and said that she loves my writing like she loves JK Rowling's writing !!!! I know she was being nice!! But still!!  
  
Anyway have the tissues out cause I cried while writing it.  
  
Dedication: For Shirebound, may you bring us many great fics about "your" hobbits. And . . . for my mum, thak you, for the laughs, fights, deep thoughts and tears . . . thank you for everything.  
Marilla  
  
Prologue: Navaer Atara (Farewell Mother)  
  
The night air tingled with an uncertain emotion, collecting and dividing its thoughts, as the moon shone its milky yellow light upon the land below.  
  
There was movement within the palace -- word had come than an orc army had been spotted 12 days from Mirkwood's border. Wasting no time, the king had sent urgent messages to Rivendell, asking that Elrond give his family sanctuary until the danger had passed.  
  
"My king," said Rogan, one of Thranduil's most trusted guardsmen, "it would be safer to send our lady instead of the children. We have heard rumour that they are the ones the orcs are seeking."  
  
The golden-haired king looked at Rogan as if he were mad; and he told him so.  
  
"But my king," the dark-haired elf insisted, kneeling in front of Thranduil, "it would be safer. The orcs are not after Queen Laslilaem; rather, they pursue Lúrin, Alassë, Cassageln, and Legolas. We would be playing into their filthy hands if they were to leave with her. I promise you, she will be safe; and so will they."  
  
With this assurance that his children would be well hidden and remain unharmed, Thranduil ordered one of his queen's maidens to pack for his wife's departure. As he gave the order, however, a blackness fell upon his fair heart.  
  
~*~  
  
"How long will you be gone?" asked Alassë , as she watched her mother pack her treasures.  
  
"I don't know, my darling, but I will be back before Legolas's fifth birthday." Laslilaem looked down at her daughter with the expression every mother held when gazing at one of her children -- love and pride. "Watch him for me; until now, he has never been even a day without me."  
  
Tears instantly sprang to Alassë 's grey eyes at the mention of her brother, and how much she would miss her mother if anything should happen to her. She and Lasilaem hugged tightly.  
  
At that moment, one of the queen's maidens interrupted. "Hiril nin*, the guards are ready; your horse is outside."  
  
"Thank you," Laslilaem replied. With one last smile at her daughter, she picked up her small pack and walked with her, hand-in-hand, towards the waiting elves.  
  
~*~  
  
Long, pale, blond hair blew in the twilight, and bright grey eyes looked innocently at the swift movement that had been surrounding his home for the past few hours. Four-year-old Legolas had sneaked away during the night when he heard his mother's horse, Jewel, whinny at something in the night. This, of course, had sparked the Ellalong's interest immediately. He usually hardly slept during the night, much preferring to watch the stars, until his mother came into his room and sang to him in her sweet voice until he danced with the comets and greeted the stars.  
  
This night, however, his mother hadn't come to his room, and the horse's whinny had provoked him to investigate. Now he was crouched in the bushes outside, hoping that none of the other elves (or his father, for that matter) caught him out of bed so late at night.  
  
"Legolas, what are you doing?" came a soft voice.  
  
Frightened, the little prince jumped and spun around, but he turned too quickly and fell onto his behind. Wincing in pain, he looked up at his mother, whose mouth was beginning to turn into a bemused smile. He looked up at his mother for a few seconds, wondering what to tell her, but decided that the truth would be right, as in his own mind he was doing no wrong.  
  
"I was simply curious, atara." he said softly to her as she picked him up. "Why is Jewel out? It is her bed-time."  
  
Laslilaem surveyed her son for a few minutes as his young grey eyes searched her own blue ones. Sighing sadly, she held him in a gentle hug. "I need to leave for a while, I'm going to Rivendell."  
  
A smile brightened Legolas's face. "When are we going? Do I get to ride Ruby?"  
  
She hated this, breaking his little heart. "Only I am going, my little one; you have to stay here."  
  
Legolas's face instantly fell, and he was at a complete loss for what to say. In his whole life, wherever she had gone he had followed her. He was her little shadow, like his brothers and sister had been, only he was more attached to her.  
  
"Manen anann?"* he said in his own tongue very quietly. This was his little quirk whenever he was distressed or in trouble.  
  
Laslilaem pulled his head to rest upon her shoulder, and whispered to him. "I will be back before you even know that I am gone."  
  
Sighing heavily, he looked at her, his eyes heavy with tears of her leaving. "Say hello to Arwen for me, please?"  
  
"That I will do." She smiled, and put him gently down. "However, I doubt that she will be there, for I believe she is visiting her grandmother." With that, she led him out to where the horses and guards were waiting for their queen.  
  
Upon seeing them, Thranduil walked towards his wife and embraced her in a loving hug. "Tolo ad varna,"* the king whispered to her as they stood together for what seemed like hours. He drew away slowly and wiped a single tear from her flawless face, then tucked a few stray strands of brown hair behind her pointed tipped ear. Smiling sadly, he whispered, "Don't worry, my love, they will be safe."  
  
All of the children had been told the reason for their mother's departure, except for Legolas, who was too young and too innocent to understand why his dear sweet mother was leaving.  
  
After bidding her children farewell, Laslilaem expertly mounted the white mare, who nickered softly and assuredly to the assembled elves that their queen would make it safe to Rivendell.  
  
Suddenly Laslilaem seemed to have lost something, and searched for the object with a slight panic in her eyes. She fumbled with her pack's small latch, but didn't find the object. Smiling, she looked at her youngest son.  
  
"Legolas, my locket, can you find it for me?"  
  
Like an arrow from the bow of Galadriel, Legolas sped off to find his mother's necklace. Panting slightly, he found it on the mantelpiece beside her bed. Gently picking it up, he held it close to his heart as he raced back outside to the waiting company.  
  
"Thank you, my little one." Laslilaem smiled happily as Thranduil lifted his son to latch it around her neck. "What would I do without you?"  
  
Beaming, he giggled a little. "Don't forget my birthday present!"  
  
"Oh, I won't," she promised. "But just in case I'm late, your father has my present from me to you." She gave them all a final goodbye and moved her horse into a quick trot.  
  
Doing the task with the locket had made him feel grown up, so as his mother and her guards rode off, Legolas waved merrily; and when she was no longer in sight, he turned and skipped off to play with his toys.  
  
It was the last time he ever saw her alive.  
Translations:  
  
* Hiril nîn = My Lady  
  
* Atara = Mother/mummy/mum  
  
* Manen anann = How long?  
  
* Tolo ad varna = Come back safe.  
  
Please R&R, next chapter will be up in a few days. 


	2. Chapter 1: A Mind Made Up

AN: Ok, I'd like to thank the eight people who reviewed, and 'Shire' as I've started to call her. My MUMMY!! I know you read these fic's while working (naughty naughty) and to my friends but Sarah who is always calling me up at some ungodly hour to see if I'm done with a chapter!!! Thank you Shire for pointing out those mistakes (My computer is playing up).  
  
Dedication: For Amber, who we 'borrowed' for sixteen years. Marilla was and is your cat, you are and always will be my friend.  
  
1986 - 2003  
  
'Don't worry, be happy.'  
Chapter 1: A Mind Made Up  
  
"I'm sorry," said Rogan sadly, "but there was no warning; they swarmed us too quickly and quietly. How they escaped our detection is beyond any of us."  
  
Watching quietly from the doorway, Legolas was at a loss to understand why his father was so upset. If Thranduil ever cried or was dismayed in some way, he waited until no one was in sight or only his wife was with him. His small but sensitive ears picked up the mumbled speech, and it only added confusion to his thinking. They couldn't be talking about his mother, she'd only been gone four days, so it must have been that his father's horse had died from a spider attack while grazing.  
  
"Laslilaem . . . didn't . . . with her. This shouldn't have happened!" his father sobbed into his hands, as Rogan went into more detail.  
  
A wild sort of something suddenly and tightly gripped the child's heart and mind, and he slipped backwards onto the polished floor as he shoved himself away from the oak frame. Turning over and pushing himself up, he sprinted until he found his oldest brother, Lúrin, sitting quietly in the garden.  
  
"Lúrin! Lúrin!" Legolas sobbed, refusing to believe, his fair face scarlet and puffy from his tears. "Atara!! Where is atara?!"  
  
His brother looked up at his youngest sibling and noticed the distress in his body language. The young prince stopped in front of his brother and sobbed out his fear. "Atara! Lúrin, where is she?"  
  
Lúrin reached out for his youngest brother and took both of his small hands in his own. "She has travelled to the halls of Mandos."  
  
Legolas took a step back in shock. "Why? Didn't she want us anymore?"  
  
Now fighting tears of his own, Lúrin shook his golden head. "Atara did that so that *we* didn't have to walk there in loneliness." Wiping a slender hand across his blue eyes, he continued, "She was taken from us, Legolas, but she went willingly to safe arms."  
  
"She is dead!!" the young elf wailed at his brother. "Can you call that safe?!"  
  
"Legolas, listen, please?" Lúrin pleaded, still holding his brother's slim fingers. "She was not afraid, not alone; I was with her. She did not suffer."  
  
"But elves are immortal." Legolas whispered helplessly.  
  
"Immortal -- yes, but we are not invincible. We know no sickness, but we can die," His older brother explained quietly, willing comfort into his brother. "Cassageln said the same thing when he lost his teacher to an orc attack."  
  
Lúrin was now clearly caught up in a memory, so Legolas left him to remember other times long gone while he went in search of his father. When he checked the palace, the king was nowhere in sight or elven hearing, so the four-year-old supposed that he was in the stables, seeing to the guards' horses. But when he went to the palace stables, he only found Thranduil sitting alone beside Jewel's stall, which was empty. The magnificent mare had escaped, but was traumatised and had to be calmed by the healers. Wandering in quietly, Legolas was careful not to disturb his father's moment; however, Thranduil knew he was there.  
  
As the young elf stood there, silent tears falling down his sweet face, a strange urge took hold of him to hug his father. Now it wasn't because Thranduil didn't love his children -- he did, and very dearly -- but he was one of those elves who showed his love by praise and guidance, while their mother gave them the emotional affection that they sought. So Thranduil was rather stunned when small, slender arms wrapped themselves round his neck. Looking down, he found a halo of pale blond hair.  
  
"I'm so sorry," he whispered to his son. "I should have done more, I could have protected her."  
  
"What happened?" his son mumbled; however, Thranduil, who was only half listening to his son's voice, thought Legolas said, 'Where is she?'.  
  
"She is in Mandos now, little one," his father said, not hiding the truth. "But she will always love you; can't you feel it, my son?"  
  
"What did I do?" Legolas asked, bringing his face out. "Was I bad, did I do something naughty to make her leave, father? If I did, I'm very sorry."  
  
"No, no," Thranduil smiled despite the subject. "You were and always are a good elfling. Your mother would never leave you because of such a silly thing."  
  
Legolas was quiet as he pondered this. "Than make Mandos give her back!" he commanded slowly.  
  
"I cannot, Legolas," his father said, kneeing before his grief-stricken son. "She is gone forever."  
  
"Bring her back!" he cried at his father. "You are king, bring my atara back!!"  
  
Thranduil sighed heavily, knowing he wasn't going to win this pleading. "My child, I am the king of Mirkwood, not the sky. If I were, I would have her back rather than leave you this down-hearted."  
  
"No!" Legolas cried, flinging himself from his father. "You can bring her back!! Tell Mithrandir, he can do it, bring him here and *make* him do magic!"  
  
"Stop it, Legolas," Thranduil hissed, and he took hold of his son's shoulders. "Understand. Your mother cannot come back, she is dead. Even Mithrandir cannot reverse that. It may hurt, but it's life. It's both beautiful and horrendous, only try to understand, your mother may not be here in body but she's here in spirit."  
  
Shoving his father's hand away, Legolas scowled, turned and ran into the dense forest with his father calling him back.  
  
~*~  
  
Pushing the small twigs and leaves aside as he pelted through the forest, Legolas soon noticed that he didn't know this part of his home. This, however, hadn't registered very deeply with his mind.  
  
Too tired to go further, he sat and cried until he was left with heaving sobs that racked his small frame. Wiping the tears away with his blue silken sleeve, his misty gaze beheld that a pale sun winked back at him, unaware of the tragedy that had befallen this now evil-ridden forest.  
  
Seeing the sky acting so calm and unfeeling filled the child with rage, and he jumped up and yelled at it in anger and sorrow.  
  
"Give my atara back!" he screamed furiously towards the bright cloudless sky. Its only response was a distant bird call. Frustrated at the answer, the young child picked up rocks and then proceeded to hurl them at the offending celestial regions. He was too upset and angry to notice that each time he threw a rock, as the object fell it was getting closer to his body.  
  
"COME HOME, ATARA!!" Legolas yelled. With that, he let fly his last rock, which promptly went up and smacked back down onto his forehead, knocking him to the ground.  
  
Dazed, dirty, and now extremely upset, the little elf burst into tears again. Rolling over, he lay on his stomach for a few seconds. Suddenly his small hand again closed around a stone. Turning to face it, his grubby face sideways, his haunted and blurred eyes watched the rough surface. "I just want you back." He hiccoughed sadly, "why did you take my atara?"  
  
The question was unanswered, so Legolas continued to lay there in the now afternoon sun. Slowly his hiccoughs calmed and his sobbing resided to small quiet and unnoticed moans, as the little elf's eyes began to close halfway until he was in slumber, where his mother was waiting.  
  
~*~  
  
Something was rubbing his head, and the most peculiar thing was that it was purring! Blinking his eyes, Legolas discovered to his confusion that it was the next day, and he was confronted with the strangest thing.  
  
It was a cat.  
  
But not just any cat, it was Marilla, the cat that had belonged to his mother. She was an astounding white, but when she moved, it looked like a living pearl was moving, hence her name.  
  
Marilla sat back on her haunches and observed the elf. Meowing at him in concern, she seemed to sense that he was deeply upset and needed someone or something to talk to.  
  
"Oh, Marilla!" he cried and wrapped the cat in a soft hug. "I am lonely and have lost half of myself. Help me," he whispered quietly to her ear.  
  
In answer, she leapt out of his arms and proceeded to walk purposely through a chosen trail. She waited until he understood that she wanted Legolas to follow her. Figuring it was easier to follow on all fours than two, he traced her at a strange gait.  
  
After a few minutes of going through and walking next to a small stream, they both came across a tiny house that Legolas realised was his old tree- house. Marilla leaped lightly into the dwelling with the elf-child close behind.  
  
Marilla was now laying in a stack of disused linen that had disappeared from the palace, but as Legolas looked in, he soon knew why.  
  
Five snow-white kittens were now suckling hungrily at their mother, meowing in high-pitched voices to ensure that they weren't alone and that their mother knew they were there.  
  
Legolas was not sure how long he sat and watched them, but as he did, he was overwhelmed by the feeling that had been there for over a day now -- an emptiness like a gaping wound that would not heal. But as he watched the kittens and Marilla interact with each other, he realised that he didn't have to be alone and that he could be part of a family again. So he made a decision as only a four-year-old could.  
  
He would become a kitten.  
AN: I hoped you liked. I won't be able to updat for a while (I'll try on Thursday but no promisies) because I have my year 10 trials (School Certificate) and I don't really want to fail.  
  
I don't have a job YET!! But when I'm rich and powerful than I'll spend all my time writing!!!!  
  
Love you all  
  
Smego Baggins 


	3. Chapter 2: Strange Behaviour

AN: WOW 19 Reviews!!! And it's only chapter! Keep em coming please!! Tell your siblings, tell your friends, tell your neighburs, heck tell the monster living under your bed. The more reviews the better. Sorry I couldn't update on Thursday, but I was sick in bed and had to go to the hospital overnight, I'm fine now (it's Saturday) but feel like a huge lump of crap.  
  
Dedication: For all the cats who have been in my life. From Rocky-Road to Wizz-Bang!! I've loved you all.  
  
Chapter 2: Strange Behaviour  
  
The gold and red leaves rustled in the chilly wind, trees whispering secrets that were centuries old -- only now, they added a new wonder to their wise and slow minds.  
  
An elf-child had been spotted in the company of a pearl cat, who moved with the grace and quietness that was seen within the four-legged creatures. They would travel to a certain point where they would greet each other at the beginning of the day, and bid each other farewell at the day's ending.  
  
It was now five days before Legolas's birthday, but this fact now had less importance to him, as much of his time was spent looking after the kittens and talking to Marilla about his own life and family. He reasoned that because she was a mother herself, he could tell her about his own mother; he knew she'd understand. As she listened, her eyes would emit the sweetest love to her kittens that much reminded him of the special look his own mother had used when she gazed at him.  
  
To calm his father's questions about his whereabouts, Legolas told his sister that he was just wandering in the woods, looking at the leaves and learning his letters. He'd pack a knapsack with fruits and other sweet things for himself, and sneak food for Marilla -- he'd discovered that she had a soft spot for salmon mixed with thyme or rosemary.  
  
Night was again creeping quickly and quietly upon the 'kittens', and Marilla, as if she held a watch or some time-keeping piece, rose from her bed, nuzzled each kitten, then padded off with Legolas. The two little figures sat together in the cool wood, the moon's pale light bathing them in an almost unearthly colour. They needed no words or actions to show they enjoyed each others company -- they just knew. The moon moved calmly, and two sets of bright eyes, one grey and the other green, watched as the clouds above the night's sky glided effortlessly across the heavens.  
  
"No stars tonight," murmured Legolas quietly. "That does not rest my heart, Marilla." She just purred in response and offered a ear to scratch.  
  
After a few more minutes, he sighed. "I must leave, atara. Ada* will worry if I do not go home." Saying goodbye quietly, he hugged her very gently then kissed her between her soft, velvet-like ears. "I'll come back," he promised, and leapt away into the night. She, of course, followed him a short way to ensure that he got home safely.  
  
~*~  
  
"LEGOLAS!!" came a sudden panicked voice. "Elbereth, where have you been?" Alassë frowned when her youngest brother didn't race for her, more strangely that he didn't greet or acknowledge her. When she reached him, she knelt in front and looked at Legolas very closely. He looked lost, confused, and indifferent as to what happened. In addition, she noticed that he had little scratches all over his face which was paler than was normal for him.  
  
"Where are you going these past few days?" she asked, full of concern for both his mind and soul. "You worry us, tithin-min.*"  
  
"I'm with the trees," Legolas said quietly. "They speak pretty things that make me happy."  
  
His sister knew this could not be the whole truth. "No, where have you been? I have not been able to find you, nor has Cassageln." She picked up her brother and carried him to his room. "He searched all day, and came back in tears."  
  
Pushing the door open, she placed him on his feather-mattress then searched for his night gown. "Legolas, Cassageln is only 850 years old. He suffers too; promise us that you'll stay home tomorrow."  
  
Shocked at this, Legolas almost blurted out that Marilla would become upset if he didn't show up; but he swallowed his tongue, nodded, and promised.  
  
However, Alassë didn't see his fingers crossed under the woollen sheets.  
  
~*~  
  
"Atara!" Legolas whispered. "Atara, im turuu tuuva the.*"  
  
His slight distress trigged Marilla to come out of hiding. Looking up, he saw that she was sitting neatly, as only cats can, on her haunches with her intelligent head inclined.  
  
Legolas's eyes brightened as he saw his second atara waiting for him. He rushed over and gave her a loving but gentle hug, whispering: "Amin mela lle.*"  
  
The elfling knew he was breaking a promise as he left that morning, but his mind's voice was soon quieted when he reasoned that his sister wouldn't mind; he just wasn't going to let her find out.  
  
He and Marilla were soon settled in the cubby, the little elf laying watching lazily as his atara cleaned and fussed over her kittens, including himself. When she finished her chores she would settle down and purr contentedly for hours.  
  
Legolas visited Marilla each day now, staying until he was sure that his other family wouldn't worry. The white cat loved to be stroked by his small but gentle hands, and he discovered that it was soft and silky and somehow comforting to him.  
  
Marilla had started to include Legolas in her circle of love, too. Whenever he forgot the meeting spot or when he started crying for his mother, she'd purr loudly and snuggle up against him in her own version of a hug. She hated seeing any baby, whether her own or not, so upset that tears were the only way out.  
  
Slowly, Legolas's heart began to heal as the days went by. The only time he didn't go for the whole day was when it was his fifth birthday. Then he made some excuse that he'd left his knapsack in the forest, and when he went to retrieve it, Marilla was waiting for him. His father had given him his first bow and carefully crafted arrows, so that he would not break them when he was practicing. His brothers and sister had said that Ruby, the roan horse, was his to own, and his mother . . .  
  
She'd left him a new green cape, so that when they stayed under the stars he wouldn't get chilly and have something soft to sleep in when he grew weary. He wore it every day now.  
  
He set himself down and looked at the little kittens. Grief and sadness was clouding his mind less and less these days, as Marilla showed him how much she loved all of them. He was positive that if any elf were to gaze into his cubby they would not see a elfling, they would see six kittens. As Marilla watched her kittens with emotion, Legolas couldn't help but notice that she held the same look in her emerald eyes as his mother had whenever he was in the same room or when he was mentioned. "I love you, my babies," she seemed to be saying. And this time when she purred that out, the elf- child knew she included him.  
  
For the first time in days Legolas smiled gently, then he reached out and gently stroked her soft white fur.  
  
* Ada = Father.  
  
* Tithin-min = Little one.  
  
* Atara, im turuu tuuva the = Mother, I cannot find you.  
  
* Amin mela lle = I love you. 


	4. Chapter 3: Wooden Stones and Magic Cats

AN: OH DEAR GOD!!! 29 REVIEWS!!!! How cool! I was only expecting this to hve just 2 or 3 but 29, you people really like this story, huh?  
  
This is the last chapter, but not the END of the fic, so I've got a surprise for you peopel at the end. So I expect you to keep reading. OH PLEASE REVIEW 'Destiny's End' I need some ideas and yarns to keep it going. Please?  
  
Dedication: For Luke, or tharweirdfella as he's known here. For keeping the beliefe alive that one day we will rule the world or die trying. Just don't do anything you'll regret.  
  
Chapter 3: Wooden Stones and Magic Cats  
  
It had been six weeks since Legolas's mother had been killed. The funeral, which had been huge and elaborate, was held a week after the tragedy. When no one was looking, Legolas had gently tucked next to his mother's body a lock of Marilla's long fur that he'd plaited with a piece of gold and purple ribbon, her favourite colours. When it was over and the adults were with Thranduil, Legolas snuck away again, but this time taking some clothes and food. He planned to stay with his atara-cat until she pushed him away.  
  
This time, however, instead of Marilla waiting for him, a little tom cat sat with her. Legolas had called this little one Salfmiaug, which meant 'Brother Cat'. He was an intelligent kitten who was the most like Legolas, always by his mother's side and with a curiosity that could bareley be contained.  
  
"Where are the others?" Legolas asked as he followed Marilla. He could have sworn that she rolled her green eyes in agitation. She turned and led the way to the cubby, where he heard meowing and a stamping of tiny paws as the other four kittens greeted their departed family.  
  
Legolas set himself down beside the corner where he kept his bags or things while he visited during the day -- now he set down a thick quilt and covered it with other blankets and a extra one to provide the pillow. When he had settled things around his sleeping space, it was mid-morning. Relaxing in the last of the fall's warmth on his makeshift bed, he lifted his head, eyes closed, and breathed deeply. It was a beautiful day, and he imagined he could hear his mother's sweet voice singing to him; he soon fell asleep with a smile upon his fair and peaceful face.  
  
~*~  
  
"FATHER!!" Cried Cassageln in worry, he raced through the palace in search for his father. "Elbereth, where ARE you!"  
  
Instead of finding his father, however, Lúrin came out of a library, deep in thought. When he looked up he noticed that Cassageln was beyond distress, his fair face was red and sweaty from racing around.  
  
"My brother, what troubles you?" Lúrin asked calmly.  
  
"Our brother!" exclaimed Cassageln. "Orcs have again been spotted, and I cannot find Legolas anywhere!"  
  
Lúrin paled. "Have you checked the forest?"  
  
"Twice!"  
  
"Check again!" said his brother, starting to run towards the stables. "We'll find him. Let Alassë know, she knows Legolas better than any of us."  
  
Without another word, Cassageln turned and raced to find his sister. Shaking his head, Lúrin cursed himself for not keeping closer watch on the five-year-old. "Oh Legolas," he whispered. "Where are you?"  
  
~*~  
  
Something was wrong.  
  
Bolting upright, the little elf heard the soft growling coming from Marilla, while her kittens hid next to Legolas, their blue eyes terrified and innocent. Looking at them, he gathered each closer and whispered comforting words. Marilla's hackles were risen to their fullest, and only now did Legolas hear the cries of some strange creatures mixed with the sound of calling trumpets.  
  
"Orcs," the elfling realised. "Oh, no." Faster than he'd ever moved in his life, he threw all the contents out of his knapsack and attempted to pack the small kittens into the bag, but they were too panicked and didn't understand that he was trying to help them. Trembling slightly, he picked up what he could, including rocks, and rushed outside with Marilla and the kittens following.  
  
Relying on his Elven senses, Legolas stopped stone still when he heard twigs snapping somewhere behind him. Not daring to look behind, he knew that whoever was near hadn't yet spotted him.  
  
"Aphado nin roooui,*" he whispered. Marilla also stopped and sniffed the air, letting the breeze waft over her sensitive nose. Watching her, concerned, Legolas knew she was seeing if the orcs were close. Her hackles rose slightly in answer to his unspoken question. Suddenly trees started to crash around him.  
  
"An elf was here!" cried a orc in frustration, he looked around but didn't notice any of his prey.  
  
"Lashlink, aren't these tree-dwelling creatures?" asked his companion. "Look up."  
  
As one, the whole group looked up to where Legolas could clearly be seen.  
  
"One's in the trees!" came a voice.  
  
Legolas squealed in terror as an arrow narrowly missed his head.  
  
~*~  
  
The unmistakable sound of a bow twanging and a child's scream came faintly to the ears of Rogan. The tall elf spun around, arrow nocked upon the string. Realizing that the scream belonged to the king's youngest son, he pelted through the bushes to rescue the young prince.  
  
~*~  
  
"LEGOLAS!" cried his sister frantically. Legolas's horse, Ruby, was giving her a hard time and refused to obey her simplest commands. "Ruby, behave!" she called fiercely. Then suddenly Ruby stood still, ears forward and interested in a distant sound. Realising that the mare could sense danger, Alassë pushed her into a gallop towards the sound, checking that she had enough arrows to kill 30 of the foul creatures.  
  
As the horse swerved and swung around trees and saplings, Alassë almost missed a white bundle of fur that lay meowing upon the ground. Halting hurriedly, Alassë realised that it was her mother's missing cat, Marilla, and she seemed to have five other bundles of fur following her.  
  
"Marilla!" she cried, "home, go home. It's not safe!!"  
  
~*~  
  
Panic now had set in, and Legolas was absolutely terrified as he jumped from tree to tree in an attempt to flee the horrible orcs that continued to send their arrows towards him. Feeling his distress, the trees slowly leaned inwards and entwined with one another to support him as he tried to rush from danger.  
  
Finally figuring that higher was better, Legolas scrambled up a thick tree trunk, tears blurred his vision, making it harder to see where he was placing his hands. Now at the top, he stood steadily upon a sturdy branch and held his little bow, trying to imitate the archers that his mother and father had showed him many times. He had shot a few times, and by elf standards was a natural, but his targets were few and far between. The elfling pulled the string until his slender arm strained, letting the arrow go. His target didn't die, but screamed as the elf's arrow impaled his foot.  
  
Legolas placed another arrow and shot again; this time he missed completely, but made the orcs look the other way. Putting the bow aside, he now reached into his bag and pulled out some stones. If shooting arrows wasn't going to help him, perhaps throwing rocks would. Letting one fly, he hit his target at the base of the neck, breaking it and killing him. Throwing another one, the little elf killed the one with the arrow in his foot. He threw another but missed, but just then a volley of arrows killed them off.  
  
Looking down in shock, Legolas saw that Rogan and Alassë were looking around frantically for the small elf. Dropping down from branch to branch, Legolas cried out his sister's name in joy and relief.  
  
"I though I had lost you!" Alassë sobbed, as she held the small body close. Releasing him, she wiped the tears from his face and smiled. "The others are trying to find you. Tell me, where have you been hiding?"  
  
"With Marilla and her kittens," Legolas whispered. "She wanted me to be a kitten and grow to be a cat." Legolas looked up, thinking that she would scorn him for thinking silly things.  
  
Instead, his sister leaned in close and said, "Marilla is like that; she has that magic around her." With that, Alassë kissed the top of her brother' head and lifted him upon his horse, and they trotted her back to the palace stables.  
  
"I thought she wouldn't obey you, nor your brothers?" Rogan asked, confused. "Why does she willingly do as he asks?"  
  
Alassë just smiled. "As I told him, Rogan. Some have a bit of magic around them." She looked at her father's commander. "Legolas just seems to be like that, too." And with that, they hurried through the trees before any stray orcs caught them.  
  
~*~  
  
"You're safe, you're safe," Thranduil kept murmuring, as he held his youngest son. When Cassageln had raced into his den, after searching for another ten minutes, a deep dread had taken hold of Thranduil's heart. He knew before being told that orcs were again in his realm, and worse, that his youngest son was missing. Thranduil knew that the orcs were after young Elven children to turn them towards darker ways, and they seemed to lust for high status ones.  
  
"Don't you run away again!" he said harshly, but he bit his own tongue when he saw the expression upon his child's face. "On second thought, run away but tell us where you are going."  
  
"Marilla?" Legolas asked. "Did she make it back?"  
  
"She's in your room, and her kittens are ripping up your toys," came Lúrin's voice.  
  
"WHAT?!" Legolas cried, and with that the elf sped for his room before it became full of stuffing and feathers.  
  
~*~  
  
Two weeks later . . .  
  
"No, no," chided Legolas as he chased after a naughty kitten. "Atara told you not to, Salfmiaug, Hestia stop it!"  
  
Finally giving up, the little elf sat down heavily upon the grass, panting slightly and wiping the sweat off his forehead. It was while watching Marilla that a thought came to Legolas's mind. He could now tell when she was worried. His own mother held the same expression whenever she caught him playing with Jewel or Ruby in their stalls. Lasilaem would rush over and rebuke him for misbehaving. A smile would then melt her lips as she kissed him and made him promise not to annoy the horses, although he would be there later trying to climb Jewel's broad back.  
  
Marilla loved her naughty kittens, even when they didn't listen to her worried meows to stay close and behave. This made him realise that his mother didn't leave him bacause he was bad or that she stopped loving him when he was naughty; and knowing this eased the pain in his heart a little.  
  
Giving up herself, Marilla went to sit with her very obedient kitten. She sat very close and snuggled up to him, love radiating from the rumbles coming from her throat. Whenever she snuggled up against him, it was always a reminder of when he would snuggle in his mother's arms. Noticing that their mother wasn't paying attention to them, all of the kittens came over to steal the attention from their 'brother' and sabotage their mother's peace and quiet.  
  
"So this is where you're hiding?" came a voice.  
  
Spinning around, a smile lit Legolas's features as his sister came into view. "Marilla likes it here; atara used to sit here for hours singing and telling us tales of far away."  
  
"You do know that mother loved you very much," Alassë said, sitting beside Legolas as he played with one of Marilla's kittens, the mother cat sitting next to him purring contentedly.  
  
"But I already know that," said her brother softly.  
  
"How?" Alassë replied, rubbing the cat's head.  
  
Looking her in the eye and smiling gently, he said, "Marilla told me."  
  
* Kittens can clock up to 35mph in leaps and bounds, but as they grow older they lose this speed. Cheetahs are a cat so kittens can also run fast!!  
  
* Aphado nin roooui = Follow me quietly.  
  
AN2: Well, is that a good or bad ending? Do you like the concept of the cats? Will I see a rise in animal stories? I have yet to see a really cool fic with Frodo learning to ride. 


	5. Epilogue: Memories and Speckles

AN: Well, here it is. I've had fun reading your reviews and am on my way of writing another Fic.  
  
Dedication: For dad. Thank you for saving me, I now have a part of you to go with me everywhere. (I had a Kidney transplant, from my daddy.)  
  
Epilogue: Memories and Speckles  
  
****  
  
"Sometimes you don't need words to express your feelings; a look alone can say 'I love you' louder than any person shouting them could." --- My best friend, Nyree, talking about a subject that she hates. Love.  
  
***  
  
Peace at last had come to Middle-earth, and the remaining companions of the Fellowship of the Ring were enjoying a celebration with the king. Unknown to them, however, the quiet archer and only elf of the fellowship had slipped away to watch the stars.  
  
After quietly gazing at the little lights that Varda had hung in the skies, Legolas closed his eyes, a small smile on his thin lips. It was a cool night, and the city grew quiet; everyone was either eating or sleeping in order to retrieve their energy to work the next day.  
  
Well, *almost* everyone.  
  
A rubbing against his legs made the elf realise that he wasn't alone. Looking down, he saw two enormous green eyes staring up at him from the darkness. They were pleading and lost. The stray cat meowed softly at him, asking if he held any scraps or would he be willing to take him in. Bending down, the elf very gently lifted the cat. Petting it, he discovered that it was a fawn colour with little speckles around his paws and eyes.  
  
Unbidden, old memories of a fluffy white cat came into his mind, and of five kittens called Salfmiaug, Hestia, Asima, Amber and Táralóm. Marilla had lived to an ancient 54 years old; she had died peacefully in her sleep, snuggled next to her favourite 'kitten'. Her love for him was certain, as was her tender acceptance of him when most other cats would be hissing or growling to protect their kittens.  
  
Marilla was always happy to see him, just as his real mother had been. She would gaze at him with love . . . as his real mother had done. Sadness still tugged at his soul now and then. No one looked at him that way anymore. No one was glad to see him. No one else worried about him, yet Marilla had, Legolas was sure of it . . . just as his real mother had done. That sweet cat had kept him from forgetting his most treasured memories of his mother.  
  
"How would you respond to the name Meidh?" The elf looked at the cat, who just meowed and blinked in response. "It means fawn." He let the cat down and started to walk away. Looking back, the cat was sitting neatly upon his haunches, wondering if he should follow.  
  
"You may follow. I know for a fact that Arwen loves cats." Needing no more encouragement, Meidh followed the elf, looking up at his face while walking besides him.  
  
For Legolas, remembering that his mother loved him, and seeing that cats still seemed to attach themselves to him, helped calm his emotions. He smiled as he imagined how he would explain to the Queen this most unusual gift.  
  
"When I was four, I found the most wonderful cat . . . or perhaps she found me. . ."  
  
**************************  
  
AN: And that is that. This was the last chapter to be uploaded and reviewed, but I hope you had as much fun reading it as I had as much fun writing it. This story is actually the FIRST fanfiction that I've completed and I'm quite proud. Next will hopefully be a Fic called 'Two Worlds Apart,' I have NO idea when it'll be up or when or if I'll finish it.  
  
Answers to the 'regulars':  
  
Legolas4me: Well, here's the last chapter. I hope you like it. I'll get around to reviewing one of your stories.  
  
Lady of Legolas: I'm glad that you stayed on for the WHOLE fic, most just review once or twice then don't bother. I'm happy that you liked the story and I hope you'll be there to read TTA. When I upload it.  
  
MoroTheWolfGod: Love the enthusiasm when you review!! Keep it up!! I need an upbeat person.  
  
feanen: I'm glad you liked how I portrayed the cats. I love them, I have this little cat that waits at the front gate every day (except sat and Sunday) and sits with me until I leave on the bus. I don't know who owns it but I've been happy to know him for three years.  
  
MagicalRachel: How are you? Long time, no read. I haven't sent you anything because I know that you have a life and will think that I'm stalking you by constant e-mails about nothing. Anyway, thankyou, I hoped you'd drop by and give me an e-mail!!  
  
If I've forgotten anyone. I apologise,  
  
But thanks to: Shirebound (of course!!), bant, Dragon, Reina Ethelion, StriderGirl, Samwise the Brave, Zoya, StrangeBlaze, songelf88 and G.H.S. the warg, Dara Maeko, Writer From Rivendell and Cindy.  
  
Keep and eye out for more of my fics!!!! 


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